The 2026 PGA Championship returns to Aronimink Golf Club for the first time in over 60 years this week. The last time we saw a major here came in 1962, when Gary Player hoisted the Wanamaker Trophy to secure the third major of his career.
Aronimink is your classic Northeast beast of a track. It’s a Donald Ross masterpiece that demands every club in the bag. The greens are lightning-fast, and the course is the definition of a “supreme test.”
The most recent action we saw here was the 2018 BMW Championship, where Keegan Bradley reached 20-under par. I don't see that happening this week — I’m expecting the winner of this major to be somewhere in the 12-under to 15-under range.
What makes Aronimink so good for a major is that “supreme test” persona. It’s a track that demands everything. This course features holes where players need to be long and straight, and others where they have to club down just to find a fairway.
They'll need to be dialed with their long irons on one tee, then flip the switch to wedge precision on the next, all while navigating those notoriously tricky, lightning-fast greens.
Aronimink looks short on paper at just under 7,400 yards, but it can play much longer depending on what Mother Nature brings this week.
These restored Donald Ross greens are large and extremely quick.
Players who can control their trajectory and spin approach shots into specific quadrants will be rewarded. If they aren't coming in high with enough spin, holding these greens is going to be a massive challenge.
As should be no surprise, Scottie Scheffler is the betting favorite at +380. There's zero reason to believe Scheffler won't be in contention. It doesn’t matter what the course is; his name will be atop the leaderboard when you turn on CBS at 3 p.m. ET on Sunday.
Stats I'm dialing in on this week are Strokes Gained in the Northeast and Recent Ball Striking.
For what it's worth, I had mentioned on my X account (@jakezachgolf) that I made a first click on Collin Morikawa. I have cashed that out, given his recent comments about not being 100%. I just can't bet a player who's not 100% at a major.
It should be an incredible PGA Championship at a historic venue. Let’s get into my 2026 PGA Championship predictions and PGA Tour betting preview.
Cameron Young (+1600)
I'm quite certain this is your winner this week.
Cam Young has simply been the best player all year, with two strong wins at the PLAYERS and Cadillac Championship to show for it. What I love most isn't just the incredible ball-striking numbers, but how well he’s been putting the rock.
Aside from losing five strokes with the flatstick last week after that brutal three-putt from three feet, he looked very solid on the greens.
He ranks fifth in the field on Donald Ross tracks over the last 50 rounds and 10th in approach over his last 24, so it’s hard to imagine the Scarborough, NY, native not being in the mix come Sunday. He has just been too good
Brooks Koepka (+3900)
Brooks Koepka is in the best headspace he’s been in for quite some time. Coming off a T11 at the Myrtle Beach Classic — where he gained over nine strokes ball-striking — I absolutely love what I’ve been seeing from him lately.
To be honest, his ball-striking has been elite all year.
I get the woes with the putter, but I’m looking past that this week. Given the difficulty of these greens, I have a feeling the entire field is going to struggle to roll it pure.
This track has a very similar feel to Oak Hill: a par-70 Donald Ross design with bentgrass greens in the Northeast. We all remember what happened there: Brooks hoisted the Wanamaker Trophy in 2023.
Koepka has been vocal about finding his love for the game again, and he seems more excited to compete than he has been in a long, long time.
When you combine that mindset with how clinical he has been off the tee and on approach, this is a number I simply can’t pass up.
He’s also set to debut a new flatstick — the TaylorMade Spider Tour V — after breaking his putter. If the putting burns me this week, I can live with it, because the ball-striking upside is too high to ignore.
Patrick Cantlay (+5300)
If we want to talk about a "Northeast Merchant," we talk about Patrick Cantlay. And just look at his recent form: T10, T8, T12 and T7.
He's striking the ball beautifully right now. For the second week in a row, the number we're getting on Cantlay is simply irresponsible.
For a player who hasn’t found the winner's circle in a while and has been relentlessly chasing that elusive major after stacking up eight PGA Tour wins, a breakthrough at Aronimink feels perfect.
Cantlay ranks sixth in this field for Strokes Gained in the Northeast and consistently plays these specific course comps at an elite level. This is a number I can't pass up. If he’s going to finally cross a major off the list, this is the spot.
